Students bring a variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds to their study of language. Unfortunately, in many classrooms, language teachers and learners often view students’ first language (L1) as a potential problem, or as a stumbling block on the road to successful language learning. This session will explore strategies to help teachers and learners make use of their current knowledge as they build their linguistic repertoires. The plurilingual approach being presented treats students’ backgrounds as assets, is linguistically and culturally inclusive, and is a model of culturally responsive teaching as it connects their previous experiences to the new language they are learning. The webinar will demonstrate how including students’ L1 in the language classroom offers the potential for innovative and nuanced communication in students’ both L1 and L2. Participants will reflect on their own language learning experiences as they are presented with activities that can be adapted for students of all ages and levels.

To learn more English or to get additional resources for English language teaching, see:
http://www.facebook.com/AmericanEnglishatState 
http://www.facebook.com/AmericanEnglishforEducators
http://americanenglish.state.gov
http://openenglishprograms.org